Wenneker

Most of you will know that the Dutch are the creditors when gin is concerned. They were the fathers of Genever, which spun itself into the category we all know and love. It’s odd then that here in the UK, Dutch gin’s are relatively low on the ratio scale. Bols and Sylvius are just two of a handful that have made it over full-time so-to-speak, and today I wanted to feature another that is worthy of your time, Wenneker.

Wenneker takes itself back to 1693, February 16th to be exact, when Hendrick Steeman erected two brandy distilling-kettles. It’s these two pieces of equipment that found itself in the possession of Joannes Wenneker in 1812, but would leave the family tree when his great-grandson Franciscus Wenneker sold the company to a malter from Schiedam named Johannes Cornelis van der Tuijn due to the lack of successors. The Van der Tujin family still own Wenneker Distilleries today, and the fourth generation team is in place, although not at Schiedam. Instead, due to the lack of space for expansion in the original distillery, they moved to Roosendaal in 1967. Since then, they have acquired a number of famous Dutch distilleries including Piersma, Duys, Smeets and Distillery J.J Melchers Wz. Schiedam (with Olifant (Elephant) as their best known label).

The Wenneker name has always produced and created a range of Genevers and liqueurs, and still use the original recipe from the 17th century as a basis for the production. This feature though will focus on its newest line in its gin category, Wenneker Elderflower. Created using 6 distillates; Juniper berries, lime-tree blossom, lemon, orange, coriander and elderflower and produced in small batches of 1,200 bottles using pure water, Wenneker Elderflower was released in 2014.

But how does it fare? Well below, I give to you my tasting notes –

Wenneker Elderflower – 40%

Light elderflower notes on the nose, with subtle hints of citrus and dry root. Plenty of elderflower on the palate, with a long finish of light lime, and dry kicks of coriander.

A gin for a gin and tonic perhaps?

Wenneker and Tonic

Glass –

Tumbler

Ingredients –

25 ml Wenneker Elderflower
60 ml Schweppes Tonic Water

Method –

Combine the gin and tonic over an ice filled tumbler glass and garnish with either a wedge of lime or lemon.

Although their main brands are Genever and liqueurs, their gin stands up very well for a good gin and tonic. It would be intriguing to see how different the Elderflower and the original dry gin expression are, so hopefully see that result very soon. In the meantime, grab a different gin and tonic this summer.